The Opera Rebuilt
by Sydney K. Ivashkov
Summary: This story is about the great great granddaughter of Christine Daae and Raoul de Chagny. The opera house has been rebuilt and the beginning is the day of the Grand Reopening.
1. Chapter 1: Grand Reopening

Chapter 1: Grand Reopening

Marissa de Chagney looked up at her ballet instructor as she paced back and forth. Tonight was the grand reopening of the Opera Populaire and crises were quickly taking place. The beautiful Marissa's nerves were already on edge, because she has heard stories of the Opera Ghost since she was as little as she could remember. Surely Erik would be long gone. As her mother told her, Erik was only human.

Marissa was the great-great granddaughter of the famous Christine Daae, the student of the long feared Phantom of the Opera, and the reason for the famous tragedy. Marissa truly had mixed emotions about performing in the reopening of the opera house. Half of her felt honored to take part in something her distant relative was so famous for. The other half felt an unease, an eeriness.

Returning from her thoughts back to reality, Marissa had a decision on her hands. The lead of the show had broken her leg. Claudia was a tough part to replace. As she was not only the lead and had to sing and act well, she was also a good dancer. It had been suggested that Marissa take on this role.

Charlemaigne Giry, also a descendant of people directly involved in the disaster knew not to push Marissa on this decision. She needed to consider it and do what was best for herself. This caused worry for Charlemaigne, if Marissa decided not to go though with it or if she took too long on her answer, it could mean postponing the long anticipated reopening weeks, even months. She knew Marissa had the talent and knew the part, but she was unsure of Marissa's confidence.

Marissa continued to watch her ballet instructor pace back and forth as she thought. She knew Madame Giry was trying to be patient and allow Marissa to make the right decision for herself, but her pacing certainly wasn't helping Marissa's nerves any.

Marissa closed her green eyes and focused her mind on her great great grandmother. Christine Daae had been very very beautiful and Marissa looked just like her. If people had been unaware of the change in time, she could have easily been mistaken for Christine.

She opened her eyes again and sighed. She saw a strand of her curly brown hair fall from her bun. She thought more of the decision before her. She thought for a moment that if she decided to do it, she knew she could. The lead had been a toss-up between her and Bianca. Bianca ended up getting the role, yet now Marissa was left with the decision to either play the role or not. With that last thought, Marissa looked up at the clock. She had an hour to decide if there was even a chance to pull it off.

Notes: Sorry this chapter is so short, I am hoping the rest will be longer.


	2. Chapter 2: A Decision to be Made

Sorry guys that the last chapter was so short. I hope to make the rest longer. I also am not sure how much I will be able to get stories up in the near future, after today, I will be using a program that this website doesn't support for writing my stories. I might ask a trusted friend to upload them or try to find another way, but if it takes me a while, please be patient with me.

Chapter 2: A Decision to be Made

Tick, tock, tick, tock… Time was moving on. Marissa still didn't know for sure what she was going to do. She didn't know if the Opera Ghost could be alive or not. That brought up another question, if not, could he be a _real_ ghost this time? Thoughts began to run through her head. A real ghost could be trickier, scarier than Erik turned out to be. There was no doubt, of course, that he had been scary. He had after all murdered Joseph Buquet along with several others. She kept thinking about if Erik would have murdered Christine if he had the chance. What if he hadn't let Christine go, but didn't kill her. Would he have forced her to be his bride? Would she have had a different great great grandfather? How different would her life be? So many questions racing through her mind, so many, "what ifs."

"Why don't you go get something to eat, dear?" Mme Giry asked her.

"Are you sure I have time?" Marissa asked, knowing her time was running low.

Mme Giry smiled down at Marissa, "Yes, dear, and it might help calm your nerves enough for you to make a decision."

Marissa thought about that for a second, she was right, food might help calm her down. She stood up and walked toward the door and went down to the kitchens to get something to eat.

When she got down there, she ran into Lucinda. Lucinda was Bianca's snotty bratty cousin and she was just starting out here in the opera house. She had high demands for a new person though. She wanted the leading roles, the best of everything. Talking to Charlemaigne one day, she found out a little more about her great great grandmothers past than she had heard at home. She found out about Carlotta, the prima donna of the opera house. She made high demands and got everything she wanted. This reminded her too much of how Lucinda acted. When she mentioned that to Mme. Giry, she told her that was because Lucinda was a relative of Carlotta's.

"Well, hello there, Marissa." Lucinda said with a nasty smirk.

"Hello, Lucinda," Marissa said cheerily. "how are you doing this lovely day?"

Lucinda glared at her coldly, "Don't think because you are related to Christine Daae that you are going to get all the lead roles here, you may have this lead role, but beyond that, I'm the prima donna in town."

Marissa just walked away. She wasn't going to stand there and argue with her. She didn't have time. She didn't even bother to correct her about having the lead role, yes; she had it, if she chose to accept it. That was where the problem stood. Did she want the lead, and if she did, would she have time to be prepared tonight?

After she finished eating, she looked at the clock. It was now she had to make her decision. As she walked back to the practice room, where Mme Giry was waiting, she thought about what Lucinda said. She could easily prove Lucinda wrong about special treatment by turning down the role. On the other hand, she could prove to Lucinda that she actually did have talent. She thought about both things, and walked in the room, confident with her decision

Yes, I am going to make you wait for the decision. I felt it made a good ending to this chapter. I hope you all agree.


	3. Chapter 3: The Wait

Chapter 3: The Wait

Mme Giry waited in the practice room for Marissa's return. As she waited, she thought about things that could happen, should Marissa's decision be no. She continued to pace back and forth. Her long blonde hair, starting to turn gray here and there hung down her back. She looked just like any other Giry woman had in the past. The Giry's were proud of theor heritage and so kept the name in profession. She was married and had a daughter, but rarely ever was called by her married name.

If Marissa chose not to take this role. It could mean possibly auditioning those who knew the part really well and open a couple of weeks later than intended. First they would have to announce to the cast that they neede people who knew the part and then might have to replace the person who got it. That is, if they could find anyone who knew the part.

Another possibility is that they would have to reaudition people and wait until someone new learned the part fully. This could take months longer and restart the whole reopening process they have already taken months to prepare for. All that time gone to waste.

If she says no, they could also wait for Bianca to heal properly. This could actually take years depending on if she takes care of it the way the doctors told her to. Ideally, she could be ready in a matter of months, but there were people who were excited to see the long aniticipated show tonight.

She continued to pace back and forth as these same thoughts continued rushing through her mind. She could only hope that Marissa said yes. If she said yes and soon, things would fall perfectly into place.

Dorine walked into the practice room. "Mama, where's Marissa? I was gonna ask her if she wanted to get some lunch with me."

"She's already gone to get lunch, Dorie, she will hopefully be back soon." Mme Giry replied to her.

Dorine thought for a moment. "Has she made a decision yet? I know this has been real hard on her."

Mme Giry smiled, knowing Dorine cared for her best friend very much. "No, she hasn't and yes, it has been very hard on her, which is why I sent her to lunch."

Dorine looked up at her mother, knowing this whole siituation was stressing her out as well. "Don't worry, mama, she will make the right decision. Whatever it turns out to be, it will be the best one."

"You're right, as always, Dorie," Mme Giry lopoked at her daughter with pride. "you have always had this about you, you always know the right thing to say."

"I wouldn't know if it was the best thing to say, mama, but it's the truth. I don't want to tell you Marissa will say yes, because I honestly don't know. Whatever her decision is, it will be the best decision" Dorine said to her mother.

As Dorine left the practice room to head toward the kitchens, Mme Giry thought about what her daughter had said. Yes, whatever Marissa's decision, it will be the best decision. If she says no, it will be a pain for the whole opera house, but if she doesn't really want to do it and she does, it wouldn't be the best thing for anyone.

She paced and waited longer for Marissa to return. She hoped she would return in enough time, but of course time wasn't moving as quiclkly as Mme Giry felt it was. She hadn't been gone but about forty-five minutes and would probably not be gone much longer. Her daughter had really helped her out. Her stress eased a bit. She was still worried about what Marissa's decision would do to the opening. She realized however that what could seem like a bad thing might really not be as bad as it seems.

To get her mind off of things, Mme Giry sat down and started writing a letter to Marissa, telling exactly how she felt. Marissa, of course, would never get the letter, but it gave Mme. Giry a way to get her feelings out completely.

_Marissa,_

_I know that this decision is very hard for you to make and I know why it is. You have a heart of gold and keep thinking of what it would do for the opera house if you said no. Please put those thoughts aside. Only do this if you really want to. If you do, that's great. I know you would do well, I know you would be a star._

_Yes, it will of course be hard on us if you decide not to go through with it. If you don't go through with it there are so many new worries the opera house will have to go through. Possibly reauditioning and retraining a new actress to play the part all the way to waiting for Bianca's return._

_Also know that if you decide now isn't the right time, but decide you can handle it later, by all means, tell us. It would help us out more than you know. It doesn't matter if we have someone else almost trained, you know the part better than anyone does, other than Bianca, herself._

_If you decide yes, I honestly hope it is what you really want. I don't want you doing something you do not want to do just because it will save us time and energy and will help us open on time. We want you to know you are ready and can handle it without any problems at all._

_If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I am completely here for you and will help you in any way I can. I just want you to know that you should be ready and not worrying about us along the way._

_I hope this helps you to make the right decision._

_Mme. Charlemaigne Giry_

After she finished writing the letter, Mme Giry read it over a couple of times and smiled, then folded it up and put it in her pocket. She didn't want Marissa to actually see the letter, she just wrote it for the purpose of getting some of the stress taken off. It had really helped her too. She went back to waiting for Marissa to return. She wanted to know if Marissa was any closer to a decision than she was before.

As she stuck the letter into her pocket, she heard a sound outside. Either Marissa had returned, or someone else was here to talk to her. She waited as the door opened and smiled as she saw the long curly brown hair and the piercing green eyes. Marissa had returned, and she was smiling as she came in the room and said "Mme. Giry, I have made my decision."

Notes: Sorry guys, I decided to make chapter three the same time from another point of view and postpone the decision being announced once more. I hope you guys don't hate me, especially Travis, who after reading chapter 2 told me repeatedly to "start writing."


	4. Chapter 4: The Decision

Notes: Okay, okay I promise you a decision will be announced in this chapter. As I do not know entirely what I am doing with this story, I might not always get things in the promised chapters, but I will try my best. I hope Travis doesn't kill me for making him wait this long.

Chapter 4: The Decision

Marissa opened the door to the practice room and said, "Mme. Giry, I have made my decision."

Mme Giry looked up with curiousity, "Yes, dear? What is your decision?"

Marissa walked closer to her and said "I would like to take the part. If it's not too late to pull it off tonight, I would like to do it then even."

Mme Giry looked at her and said "Marrisa, are you sure?"

Marissa smiled at Mme. Giry, "Yes, I am sure. I am not weak and I want to prove so. I want to perform the opera and I want to perform it this evening."

Mme Giry stood and walked with Marissa to the door. Final rehearsal was scheduled any moment, provided they had a star, Marissa was ready to be that star.

As they walked down the corridor, they ran into Dorine. "Hey mama, hey Marissa!" She said as she turned to walk with them.

"Hello Dorie," Mme. Giry said. "as you can see, I found Marissa."

"Yes, mama, I do see that." Dorine said laughing at her mother. "I'm not blind you know."

"Hi, Dorine, how are you doing today?" Marissa smiled at her best friend. She looked so much like her mother, yet they acted so different.

Dorine smiled back, "I'm fine, Rissa, how about you?" She asked her "Have you um, made a decision yet..." She asked timidly.

"Yes," Marissa smiled, "I have. I have decided to take the part"

Dorine smiled at Marissa's apparent new found confidence. "Well, if you're happy with that decision, Rissa, so am I"

As they walked down the corridor together, Dorine's Blond ponytail bouncing as they walk. They talked about the opera and the opening tonight. They were so excited about it, as was the majority of Paris.

Waiting this long was the best thing, they knew for sure that by now Eric was dead. His body was never found, but no one lives that long. Marissa still wondered, in the back of her mind, if the Erik could be a real phantom and if he would possibly come back to the opera house. She hoped not. She didn't really believe in ghost stories either, but something about the feeling of the newly rebuilt opera house made her wonder.

They walked on to the stage and walked around. No one was there yet. They sat in the center, together and waited. They looked out toward the house area, it was a beautiful sight. Brand new seats red upholstered seats in countless rows, above the ground level there were boxes, in a dark wood finish. Marissa glanced up toward Box 5 and wondered.

In Christine's day, the phantom would always request that Box 5 be kept empty for his use. Well if he was back as a ghost, she hoped he wouldnt want to inhabit Box 5 tonight. It was a full house and there would be nowhere for him to sit.

There had been no notes found yet. As the Opera Ghost was famous for notes with outright demands. They would also be signed "OG." The managers in the day of Christine, started out refusing his demands, thinking he was absolutely insane. Yet he was, he was insane. He murdered people who would get in his way. He almost murdered Raoul because he wanted Christine to himself.

Toward the end of the Opera Populaire, however, they met his demands in hope of catching him in Box 5 and arresting him. They had no clue, whatsoever that he would appear on stage, as Don Juan and end up taking Christine down into his dungeons for Raoul to risk his life to save.

Marissa snapped back to reality as some of the dancers started showing up on the stage. Mme. Giry asked them all to practice and pulled Marissa aside. "I would like to go over with you some of the harder steps that Claudia has to perform, to make sure you know them all correctly."

Marissa started dancing, she was a very graceful and beautful dancer. She had a lot of promise. She carried an ease and an elegance with her that carried from dancing to her every day life.

As she twisted and turned, twirled and jumped through the movements of the opera. Her black curls flew and then fell quickly right back into place. Her hair never got in her way and always did what it was supposed to.

As she got toward the end of her main steps, more actors, dancers and singers started to find their way to the stage. Everyone practicing their parts just on their own. She stopped and watched as everyone in their own little world in the own concentration. She smiled. This is how the opening day of an opera house was supposed to be.

The managers stepped up next to Marissa and stood next to her watching the practicing. She jumped, startled. "Oh, hi Monsieur Ramon, Monsieur Allandro."

"Hello, Marissa," Monsieur Ramon said to her, "have you yet come up with a decision?"

"Yes, Monsieur, I have." Marissa replied smiling. "I have decided to take the part."

"Thats fantastic! Only if you are sure, of course." Monsieur Allandro said.

Marissa laughed. "Of course I'm sure!"

"Well then!" Monsieur Allandro said, "On with rehearsal! If it goes well this afternoon, we open tonight."

Marissa wanted more than anything for the show to open tonight. She wanted to prove to Lucinda she got asked to replace Bianca on talent and not on relation.

As they went through rehearsal, Marissa remembered everything so well. She was perfect on her cues and she didn't once miss a line, or a note or even a dance step. At the end if rehearsal they sat and waited for the managers notes.

"Marissa!" Allandro said "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"I agree, monsieur," Ramon said, "I knew she could do it when we offered her the part."

"She did an absolutely splendid job!" Allandro raved again.

"We are definitely doing the show tonight!" Ramon announced.

"Now, for the notes. please be patient, as we do have quite a few." Allandro said.

They sat ad listened as Allandro and Ramon went over all the notes the had over the rehearsal, they hadn't been kidding, there were a lot of notes, some bad, but mostly good. All of the notes about Marissa had been good. When the end of the notes finally came, they told everyone to go relax until about an hour before the show and then to meet backstage at that time.

As they filed off the stage, Dorine followed Marissa. "Wow, Rissa, you were absolutely amazing!"

"Thanks Rine" Marissa said smiling. She wouldn't let all of this go to her head, but it did feel good to get compliments.

"You're okay" A voice behind them said. They turned to see Lucinda standing there. "You're obviously just a chorus girl. Wait until you're up against _real_ talent. Then see where you're cast. I hope you freeze in front of everyone tonight. That would be worth a laugh." After that, she walked off, leaving them behind.

"Wow," Dorine said. "What an attitude!"

Marissa sighed. "I am just a chorus girl though, Rine. This is my first lead role, and I'm scared. What if I _do_ freeze tonight?"


	5. Chapter 5: Answers

Thank you to **Lost Schizophrenic **and **watrfairie** for your reviews. It's nice to know people other than my friends are reading it. Not that I don't love their support. I totally do. Especially Paige and Travis who like myself are Phantom of the Opera fans and Andrew, who has never seen or read PotO.

**waterfairie:** to answer your question, I would say she is probably around 15 or 16 years of age, considering the time.

Now you should all be happy, you now know the decision Marissa made. Will it be a good one though, or a bad one?

Chapter 5: Answers

"Marissa!" Dorine exclaimed, shocked. "Don't even think that! You were amazing, really."

Marissa looked at Dorine with doubt forming in her eyes. "I don't know, Rine..." She let her voice trail off.

Dorine stood there, not knowing what to say. This didn't sound at all like the Marissa she knew. "You know, Riss," she said hoping what she was going to say made some form of sense. "Everyone has to start somewhere. Remember, Christine for example."

Marissa smiled for the first time since Lucinda made her comments. "You're right! Christine was a chorus giirl and she turned out to be an amazing singer!"

"See Rissa, it's in your blood." Dorine said, glad Marissa was seeing her point.

Marissa frowned again, though. "Dorine, Christine had a teacher."

Dorine nodded, "That she did, a crazy teacher, an insane one, but a good one. Riss, you were taught by your father who was taught by his father, lading all the way back to Christine."

"True," Marissa said, "very true."

Marissa lie in her room, following the managers' instructions to "relax before the show." She thought about Lucinda as she lay there. She had done nothing to Lucinda, yet everytime they run into one another, Lucinda has something snotty to say, as though she feels she is better than Marissa, the "chorus girl."

She thought maybe it was that Lucinda was jealous. but that didn't make sense. After all, as late as she came to work for the opera house, there was no way _she_ would have been asked to play the part.

_What then, could it be, _Marissa thought. Lucinda wasn't very pretty, maybe she was in her own way, but it wasn't considered _beautiful_. She had red hair that curled everywhere. Marissa, on the other hand had the dark silky black curly hair and beautiful green eyes. She also had a very beautiful milky white complexion. Marissa didn't think, though, that appearance was something to be jealous of.

She sat up, she suddenly had an idea of what it might be. She lay out her costume on her bed, in case she needed to come back for a quick change, then set off for Mme. Giry's room.

When she arrived outside of the room she was seeking, she lightly rapped on the door. "Yes?" she heard Mme. Giry's voice from within. "Who is it?"

"It's Marissa de Chageny," Marissa said timidly. "I just came by to ask you some questions, but they aren't terribly important and I can ask you later if you're busy." Marissa didn't know what she was thinking coming by before the opera. She knew Mme. Giry was probably very busy right now.

"Come in, child," Mme. Giry said in a softer tone. "I'm really not busy, I was just resting a bit."

Marissa started to open the door, then paused. "Only if you're sure you have time for my silly questions." she called back.

"Yes, Marissa, I'm sure." Mme. Giry said, opening the door.

Marissa watched the door open and Mme. Giry ushered her inside. "Sit, child," she said, "and tell me what brings you here."

Marissa sat down slowly on one chair, as Mme. Giry sat in another. "Well, ever since Lucinda came to the opera house she housed a disliking for me. I have been turning it over in my mind and I can't seem to find the reason why. Then I remembered you telling me about Carlotta, her relative. She would have been here about the same time as Christine, right?"

"Yes, dear," Mme. Giry answered, immediately realizing what she was asking. "She was here at _exactly_ the same time as Christine."

Marissa began to believe that she was on the right track. "Well if she was the prima donna at the same time Christine proved to be a star..." she trailed off a bit, thinking of how to phrase the rest of her question, "how did that turn out?"

"Well." Mme. Giry said, "I'm sure you have heard stories of the Opera Ghost, correct?"

"Yes, I heard that he taught Christine to sing."

"That, he did," Mme. Giry confirmed. "Well, there were a lot of accidents happening at the time. The new managers came and she threw one of her famous fits."

"What had happened?"

"Well, the first one was due to the new managers paying more attention to the dancers, especially Christine. The second was because as she was singing, one of the accidents I mentioned previously occured."

"Caused by the Phantome?" Marissa asked.

"None other," Mme Giry continuted. "She went on saying that she would not perform until accidents stopped happening."

"That was the night of the Gala performance, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was."

"What did they do?"

"My great-great grandmother knew that Christine had been receiving lessons, she suggested she sing."

"And she did?"

"They listened to her sing and liked it, so then they had her perform that night. After that more accidents happened if the Opera Ghosts demands were not met, many of them included Christine starring.

"So is that why Carlotta hated Christine?"

"If there is any reason, that would probably be it."

"Would that at all explain why Lucinda doesn't like me though?"

"It could, but then again, she seems to like no one but herself."

"I see that too, but her dislike for me seems almost unnatural."

"It could be possible that she's singling you out because you are related to Christine, but we can't know for sure."

"Would Bianca know if the family has held the grudge this long?"

"She might. She would know better than I do."

"Well thank you, Mme. Giry, you have really helped."

"Anytime you need me, I'm here."

"Thanks again." Marissa said as she left. She walked back to her room planning to contact Bianca as soon as she could to see iif she was up for a visitor.

As she walked back to her room, she thought about the accidents that the Phantom caused if his demands were not met. The accident he caused to get Christine to perform in the first place. Just then, a chilling thought struck her. _What exactly was it that caused Bianca to break her leg?_

Notes: Yes, I am stopping chapter 5 there. It might be a while before I update my story, please be patient. I have a big research paper coming up and I'm already behind because of missing school last week. I will update as I can, but if it takes me a while, I'm sorry. I also need to decide where my story is heading from here before I can go much father.


	6. Chapter 6: Opera

Thank you to **Andrew** for your review.

**watrfairie**: _starting_? You mean you weren't liking it before?

Notes: Okay guys, I was seriously going to write opera stuff during this chapter, but I chickened out. During the opera, it is just different peoples points of view. Sorry it took so long to get this story done.

Chapter 6: Opera

Marissa got back to her room and sat in her chair by the mirror. She looked in the mirror at her reflection and began to think about the things going on around her.

Lucinda came on the scene, not even a week living in the opera house and she so clearly didn't like Marissa, she didn't even give Marissa a chance. She wasn't sure if she was disliked because she was the Vicomte's daughter or because she was a distant relative of Christine.

Growing up, she didn't know what made her more well-known. Half the people knew her as the daughter of the Vicomte. The other half knew her as the descendent of the famous swedish opera singer. During the time they worked on the opera, she was better known for the latter.

Now, however, she was disliked for something entirely out of her control. Mme. Giry's comment about Lucinda not liking anybody there had been true. She was just as rude to one person as she was the next. She still harbored something against Marissa, something different.

On top of Lucinda's attitude, Marissa couldn't get something else off her mind. Something she began t think of while Mme. Giry was telling her the story of how Christine got her first lead role at the opera house. It involved the Phantom of the Opera. He made some things happen, "accidents" that eventually caused Carlotta to storm out.

This information brought to her mind the question as to whether Bianca's broken leg was really the result of an _accident_ or if it was the result of something else.

She wondered if she could actually believe there was a ghost though. She had never believed in ghost stories, but to believe that Bianca's accident had been anything but an accident would mean that she had to believe there was a ghost. Erik could not be living, too much time had passed.

To believe that it was an accident, she would have to analyze this coincidence. How could she get the same start that Christine got all those years ago, only this time by a pure accident?

She considered this possibility over and over again in her mind. She began to think... If this was a trap, is there a way to get back out of it? She was running rapidly out of time. As a matter of fact, she glanced at the clock, it was half an hour till call time. She was going to have to perform!

She slowly stood up, glanced back toward the mirror and walked over to her bed, where her costume lay. She changed quickly, then sat back down to apply her make-up and do her hair.

After Marissa had finished getting ready for the performance. she left her room and walked to the stage in order to get there in time.

When she got there, Dorine rushed over to her. "Where _were_ you?"

Marissa looked puzzled, "I was in my room, silly. Where else would I have been?" She wondered for a moment if she had the call time wrong.

"I went by your room earlier, and you weren't there." Dorine told her.

"Oh!" Marissa realized what she must have meant. "I went to your mothers room to talk to her about some things that just didn't sit quite right."

"Some things about the opera?" Dorine asked her.

"No, Rine. Some things about the past." Marissa answered her.

That actually made sense. Dorine's mother knew a lot about the past of the opera house, about the Opera Ghost and about Christine. Anyone who wanted to inquire about the past went to Mme. Giry. If she didn't know the answer, she would do her best to find it. Dorine wondered what, specifically. Marissa had asked her about.

Marissa caught the questioning look on her friends face and simply said, "I'll tell you later, but for now..." She sighed as she realized there was no way to back out now. If this was a trap, she was falling head first. "...the show." she finished.

Marissa walked on the stage as Claudia DaMauncer. Claudia was a quiet girl who didn't talk to many people, only her closest friends. She had great talent as a dancer though. When she was on stage, she could be in front of a million people, it didn't matter. The stage was her home, her sanctuary.

Marissa was a lot the same. Now that she was on stage, she was in another world, another reality. Her worries about Lucinda, about Erik, about the past, they all disappeared. For Marissa, it wasn't about playing a part and memorizing lines and cues. It was about becoming Claudia. It was her chance to handle another person's problems and put hers out of reality.

Dorine watched from the wings, seeing Marissa carry this ease after the days worries made her smile. She was truly exceptional. She showed no traces of doubt or worry, though it was apparent an hour or so ago that she had worries. She couldn't wait until later to find out what her mother and Marissa had actually talked about.

As the opera went on, Marissa threw herself more into the role of Claudia. Her movements were natural. She never stumbled for words, it was like she was living her life. It didn't matter it was in front of a full house, the people weren't there. She couldn't see them or hear them. It was her life and she was happy.

The thought occurred to her, of course, that after two hours this life had to end, it wouldn't be her and that she would again have to deal with her own problems, her own life. In the meantime however, she shouldn't dwell on the problems, just _be_ Claudia for two hours and then go back to her own life.

The managers watched the performance with happiness. This show they were feeling hours ago was hopeless and lost, was running smoothly, so perfect. The opening night of the Opera Populaire was appearing to be a success. It had been generations since the disaster. There had been plenty of time for the Opera Ghost to not be a fear and keep people away. Everything was going perfectly.

Madame Giry watched Marissa intently as the dancers came on stage. Most of the main dance sequence she would be in step with the dancers, except for one solo part and it was the hardest part of the whole opera. She knew Marissa could do it, but she also worried about her worries, her fears.

As they neared the climax of the dance sequence, Marissa prepared for her solo. In the opera, this was a ballet recital and Claudia had been given the solo. In reality is was the hardest part in the opera, and she was scared.

She executed the last spin perfectly and the dancers joined her for the rest of the sequence. Once the dance sequence was over, the rest of the opera was easy.

The cast and crew meeting after the performance was another time of praise by the managers, mostly for Marissa. They thanked her for taking Bianca's place and then they told her what a fabulous job she did and how they were extremely happy with her performance.

When the managers dismissed everyone, Marissa and Dorine went off together to Marissa's room. When they got there, they sat on her bed and Dorine asked her "Now stop stalling and tell me!"

Marissa looked at her shocked, "I wasn't stalling, I just wanted to get here, I didn't want anyone to hear."

"What exactly is this about, Riss?" Dorine started wondering what on earth it could be that she didn't want to be heard.

"Well, there are two things," she began, "one is Lucinda, I just don't understand why she seems to hate me so much."

"Dorine looked at her "Cause you're actually pretty? Cause you're the Vicomte's daughter and are very rich? Cause you have talent? I mean, Riss, I can think of a lot of reasons."

"I don't think it's that, though, Rine. I think it's because of Christine."

Dorine gave her a blank look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she's a distant relative of Carlotta, and I wonder if their family has hated ours for so long because of Christine."

"That's three generations, any family that would hate someone that long, is just sad. Why, though?"

"Because Christine sorta took over the stage when Carlotta was the "prima donna" here."

"How did she do that?"

"Well, that leads into another thing that is bothering me."

"And what's that?"

"Well, Christine got her start because of several 'accidents.' Only, these accidents weren't so accidental."

"Christine did them?"

"No, the Opera Ghost."

"Well how does this make Carlotta hate Christine?"

"The Opera Ghost wanted Christine to perform."

"Oh, so he made accidents happen so she would get to perform?"

"Yes, and then afterward, he made demands that Christine get the lead in several operas and if the managers didn't listen, more accidents occurred."

"It makes sense now, but you said you had another problem?"

"Think about how Christine got her start, and then think about how I got my first lead role."

"Bianca broke her leg... I don't get... Oh! An accident!" Dorine realized. "But, the Opera Ghost wasn't really a ghost, he was human. He would be dead by now, right?"

"Yes, but what if he _became_ a ghost?"

"You don't believe in ghost stories, Rissa, and now you're the one suggesting that there is a ghost?"

"That's why I'm having trouble, Rine. I don't believe in strong coincidences either. Something I don't believe in has to be true, so which is it?"

"Good question... I wish I knew the answer."

"Yeah, me too, and I plan to find out."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna talk to Bianca and find out just how her accident happened, and if that doesn't help me, I will go find this lair of his."

Just as she finished that sentence, they heard a sound outside her room. Rissa went to open the door and looked out. There was nobody there.

Notes: Travis, sorry I didn't show you this ahead of time, I just wanted to get it up fast cause I had waited so long to do it. Next chapter, I will let you proofread for me!


	7. Chapter 7: The Visit

**watrfairie**- I figured you didn't mean you didn't like it before, as you were reading it and all, but thanks for clarifying. Good story line? I don't even know where it's going yet, so I hope it stays good :P

Notes: Sorry guys that my updates are taking so long. I've been busy and am having trouble figuring out what I want to do, so we will see.

Chapter 7: The Visit

Marissa stepped out into the corridor and looked around, there had been someone out there, she was sure of it, but who? She looked around both ways down the hall and saw no one. It didn't surprise her that no one was simply walking the halls at the time, because people were downstairs celebrating the opening of the opera house. It did surprise her to see no one, cause she had heard someone, or something. Now, however, the hall was silent, almost eerie.

She closed the door and went back in her room to sit and talk to Dorine. "Who was there?"

"No one." Marissa said softly.

"How could there be no one? We both heard something... didn't we?" Dorine asked, confused.

"We did, but now there's no one, nothing." Marissa was just as confused as Dorine was, how could they have heard something, then see nothing?

They sat in Marissa's room talking to one another for quite some time trying to figure out who made the noise and if it wasn't made by a person, what was the sound, and why could they not find what made it.

Marissa began even more to believe the possibility of a ghost, but at the same time, believing this went against everything she stood for. Could it possibly be that the one thing she swore her entire life did not, could not exist, did, in fact, exist?

After auditions for the next opera, Marissa finally found time to contact Bianca to see if she was ready for visitors. She was. So Bianca left later that afternoon to visit her.

On the way there, Marissa had a little more time to think. She still had the same troubles and worries on her mind and was hoping to finally put them to rest. She didn't know what she could find out from Bianca, but it couldn't hurt to try. Even a little more info is better than none.

Lucinda was being a bitch as usual. She pranced around like she was the queen of the castle and gave orders and made demands like nothing else. At auditions, she actually had the nerve to demand the lead role!

_The managers were calling names one at a time, randomly to audition. When the auditionees were called, they were to go on the stage, state their name and the part they were trying out for._

"_Lucinda!" M Ramon called._

_Lucinda got up from her seat and pranced to the stage in her usual 'I am better than you' manner. When she got up there, she centered herself and said. "I am Lucinda and you will cast me as Coraline."_

_Marissa saw this from her seat and gaped at the nerve of Lucinda. For her only being in one lead role, she had been to a lot of auditions and one never behaved in that manor. She watched the audition and wondered how someone who lacked as much talent as she did could ever afford to make such demands._

On top of Lucinda and her demands, there was her obvious attitude toward Marissa. She was even more rude to her and pranced more haughtily when she knew Marissa was present. One wouldn't have known she could. As time wore on, it became more and more apparent that She disliked Marissa and it was very hard to pinpoint the exact reason.

_After Lucinda took her seat, they called Marissa's name. Marissa stood and walked confidently up to the stage. As she walked she heard a snicker somewhere behind her. She didn't even look, but had a guess that it was Lucinda._

_When she got on stage, she, too, centered herself and then said "I am Marissa, and I am reading for the part of Coraline." At that, she heard an obvious laugh from the audience. From the stage, with the stage lights on, she couldn't see anything except, barely, the first row of seats. She again guessed to herself, Lucinda, and went back to her audition._

_As she went down to take her seat, as she passed the fourth row of seats, she heard a voice "Pathetic! Like she could ever get the part of Coraline, I have played it before, you know, and she doesn't even carry herself the way Coraline does." This time she looked down the row after she got to row five and saw that it was, in fact, Lucinda._

Lucinda didn't make any more snide remarks as the auditions went on. Why was everything directed against Marissa? Nothing fit together, nothing made any sense.

Her mind also harbored thoughts of Erik and the like. She took a lot of time thinking about that. She thought about the possibility of coincidences. She wondered if something could have actually happened. To her that was so similar to that of what happened to Christine, but not have been provoked in any way? She always believed something happened for a reason and that everything has its cause and can be explained thoroughly. Yet, what if this couldn't? Would she be willing to admit it?

She also considered the possibility of an Erik beyond the grave. She also did some math to figure the likelihood of him actually being alive. It was very unlikely, but very remotely possible. He would be very old though. Would an elderly Erik try to enslave another singer? She was beginning to think anything was possible. If he wasn't alive, but he was back from the dead, would he be able to harm her? Would a ghostly Erik be more dangerous than a human one?

Another possibility she considered was if there was a new Erik. He probably wouldn't be named Erik. He would be just another person in the Opera House doing Erik's work. She imagined this person being an admirer of Erik. He would probably have a copy of Don Juan near his organ. He might have paintings of the Phantom. He might have the letters, signed OG, sealed with the skull.

There were so many possibilities as she thought through them all. She was in the carriage on the way to Bianca's house and she wasn't even watching where it was going. She always liked watching when riding in a carriage. She liked watching the people walking down the street, in and out of the shops. Today, however, that wasn't on her mind. Turning these thoughts around and around in her mind, she considered each of them. There was not one she was willing to believe, but she couldn't think of any other explanation.

As the carriage pulled up in front of Bianca's home, she started gathering her things together. The carriage stopped and she got out and walked up to the front door. Her mother answered. "You must be Marissa, Bianca told me she was expecting a friend over."

"Hello, Madame." Marissa said. "Yes, I am Marissa de Chagny. I wanted to see how Bianca was doing."

"She's doing fine, I am glad she has such caring friends. Let me show you to her room."

She led Marissa to Bianca's room and kept going on about caring friends. Marissa half felt bad, half because she really did care, but she also had another motive for going to visit.

As she walked in Bianca's room, Bianca looked up and smiled. "Hey Marissa!"

"Hey, Bianca, how are you feeling?"

"Better," Bianca said. "It's good to have some company! Sit down, sit down."

She and Bianca small talked a little bit here and there. They talked about the opera house and how the performances went. Bianca was glad to hear Marissa had done so well in her place.

That is when she felt it was a good place to bring up her first problem.

"I was wondering if you knew much about your family history." Marissa asked her

"What specifically: Bianca asked her thinking about where their conversation stood now, it probably had to do with Carlotta. "About, say, my great-great aunt?"

"As a matter of face, partially yes," Marissa answered back. "The other part is how she might have affected descendants."

"Carlotta hated Christine, no question. Well she was married to someone who was just like her. He was rich, conceited and cared nothing about anyone else. Their kids were taught that the Vicomte and his wife were evil and that Christine had stolen her fame."

"Sounds to me that her kids didn't have a chance to like them."

"You're right, and they were raised up exactly as their parents were. Yet usually grudges eventually die."

"Has this one?"

"No, Riss," Bianca answered, knowing Marissa believe that to be true. "the grudge is as strong as it was before, even though before now the family had no contact with any de Chagnys since Carlotta."

"Hmmm…"

"It appears she's joining her family in dislike for your family."

"So why isn't your family the same?"

"We were raised different, Riss. We were raised to know the person and not base everything on what we hear." Bianca answered her. "And Riss, I know you and I like you."

"I don't know what there is to not like, and I realize Lucinda doesn't seem to like much of anyone… but she directs quite a bit toward me."

"It seems that way…" Bianca said thoughtfully.

"Yes, it does…"

"Well, I wouldn't let it bother you, to be honest, Lucinda isn't really a person that is very likable."

"She certainly doesn't seem to be."

"I'm her cousin and I'm saying this."

"I also wanted to know how you broke your leg."

"Oh, well, I'm not sure exactly what happened." I was on stage practicing and then one of the backdrops came down and broke my leg."

"How did it happen in the opera house, and I not hear?"

"Well, I promised not to sue the opera house, it's like my home now and I plan to go back when my health is restored, but we decided we wanted the cause to be kept secret. We didn't want rumors flying and whatnot. I trust you Marissa, which is why I decided to tell you."

"Okay, that makes sense…" Marissa was beginning to think that it may really have not been an accident. It is possible for the backdrops to fall, but they are secured tightly for safety, so it's rare. Accidents do happen though. On the other hand, accidents that weren't really accidents were known to happen in the opera house. She began to think again about how likely it was for it to really be an accident or not.

Bianca saw Marissa thinking and asked what about. Marissa answered her, "I'm wondering Bianca, about if maybe your accident wasn't an accident. I mean, not by the opera house, but by someone, or something else…"

Bianca laughed slightly. "Riss, we all know the story of the Opera Ghost. I know it was true, I also know he was human."

"Yes, he was… there is a small chance he could still be alive, very small, but it's there. I was also wondering if he possibly came back as a real ghost, or if he might have a follower who is now doing what he used to do."

"Wow, I never thought of any of that. I guess it's possible. Have you told anyone else what you think?"

"Dorine, but I'm careful of who I tell."

"What does she think?"

"She agrees with me that she doesn't really know what to think but that they could be possible."

"I think I agree there too. You never really know."

"Yeah, Dorine told me to tell her the outcome of this visit, but if you don't want me to, I won't."

"I think I can trust her as well, yeah go ahead. Let her know though that it's being kept secret."

"I will."

Marissa left Bianca's house still wondering things, but knowing that it happened in the opera house gave her another eerie feeling.

_He saw her as she auditioned, he thought she was amazing and had talent, the same talent of another._

Notes: Hmmm… wonder what will happen next.


End file.
